Serniabat Sadiq Abdullah
Serniabat Sadiq Abdullah (born 19 November 1974) is a Bangladeshi politician and businessman who served as the 5th mayor of Barisal City Corporation from November 2018 to November 2023. He is a member of the Bangladesh Awami League and the son of Abul Hasanat Abdullah and the grandson of Abdur Rab Serniabat.
He was born in Barisal into the Serniabat family from Seral, Agailjhara, in Barisal District. The family traces its roots to Sher Shah Suri. His grandfather Abdur Rab Serniabat was a minister in several Mujib ministries, and his grandmother Sheikh Amena Begum belonged to the Sheikh family of Tungipara, sister of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Several relatives were killed or injured in the 1975 assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. His uncle Abul Khair Abdullah is also a politician. Abdullah has said he has no formal education and is self-educated.
In 2018, Abdullah was nominated by the Awami League to contest the Barisal City Corporation elections and he served as the joint secretary of the Barisal City unit of the party. He won the election with 107,353 votes, while his nearest rival from the BNP received 13,135 votes. The election was boycotted by the Communist Party of Bangladesh and Islami Andolon Bangladesh, who alleged vote rigging. He was sworn in by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Ahead of the election, hundreds of BNP activists were detained. Abdullah later served as General Secretary of the Barisal City unit of the Awami League. In 2020, three journalists from Barishal Khobor who recorded him and his family on a walk were detained, beaten, and charged under the Digital Security Act.
In February 2025, after a change in government, Abdullah’s home in Barisal was burned down and destroyed with bulldozers.
He is married to Lipi Abdullah.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 16:42 (CET).